Win

Steven Zierk

Loss

Vasif Durarbeyli

Win

Steven Zierk

Loss

Upadhyaya Anwesh

Steven Zierk, a 17-year-old from Los Gatos, Calif., is on top of the chess world.

Saturday, he won the under age 18 section of the World Youth Chess Championships, in Halkidiki, Greece, finishing a full point ahead of the field. It was a surprising result as he was ranked No. 26 at the start behind more established players, including five grandmasters and 10 international masters.

Zierk is the first American to win the under 18 section, but not the first to win a title at the youth championships, whose origins go back to the 1970’s. Previous United States champions have included Alex Lenderman in the under 16 category in 2005; Ilya Gurevich in the under 14 group in 1985; Yvonne Krawiec in the girls under 12 in 1987; Daniel Naroditsky in the open under 12 group in 2007; Susan Urminska in the girls under 10 in 1987; John Viloria in the open under 10 section in 1987, and again in 1988, when he tied for first with Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (who plays under the Palestinian flag now, but was then playing for Honduras); and Nawrose Farh Nur, another under 10 winner in 1990. Read more…

About

In its 1,500-year history, chess has imbedded itself in the world's culture and vocabulary. Ideas, terms and images from the game have long been used as proxies for intelligence and complexity. But chess is more than a diversion. Thousands worldwide play professionally or earn a living by teaching it to children. The Internet has transformed the game, making it easy for players anywhere to find an opponent day or night. Chess computers, originally developed to test the bounds of artificial intelligence, now play better than grandmasters. This blog will cover tournaments and events, trends and developments. Reader comments and questions will be more than welcome.

With an easy draw in the penultimate round, Hikaru Nakamura preserved his lead, while Viswanathan Anand, the world champion, was lucky to escape with a draw against a 16-year-old grandmaster. Read more…